India, March 19 — Ranveer Singh is easily one of the most successful actors in Bollywood today. With a string of hit films under his belt, he is at the top of his game. Around the time Ranveer entered the film industry, there was much talk about how he was related to Sonam Kapoor. However, what many might not know is that his paternal grandmother, Chand Burke, was a successful actor in her day.
She made her Hindi film debut in Raj Kapoor’s Boot Polish. The 1954 film, about two orphans, was an RK Films production with strong socialist undertones. The film’s child star, Baby Naaz, even earned a special mention at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Playing the wicked aunt to the two orphans was Ranveer’s grandmother Chand. She continued to appear in character roles the 1950s and 1960s, but of not much significance.
However, Chand was not just a Hindi film actor. She was a well-known name in Punjabi films before the Partition. In fact, she was well-known in films made in Lahore for her dancing skills and was called ‘Dancing Lily of Punjab’.
Chand was married to a writer and film director Niranjan, whom she divorced. She then married a businessman called Sundar Singh Bhavnani. She had two children with him, daughter Tonya and son, Jagjit. Ranveer is Jagjit’s son.
Chand was a Christian by birth and was born in modern-day Pakistan. Her brother Samuel Martin Burke was an Indian Civil Service officer and a diplomat, who had authored a number of books on foreign policy.
Ranveer and Sonam do share a connect – Ranveer’s mother Anju Bhavnani and Sonam’s mom Sunita Kapoor are second cousins.
Ranveer married Deepika Padukone in 2018 at Italy’s scenic Lake Como. The two dated for long time before tying the knot. They have also worked together in a number of films, including Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. They will be seen together in Kabir Khan’s 83 as well.